SURPRISE CHICK HATCH need advice

[chickenchick12]

The chick was eating layer feed the day after hatching. She is 13 days old. Will it affect her now?
And I saw a mouse near her brooder cage

. Will the mice hurt her or her mother?

 

[Peeps61]

I think the chick will be fine if she only ate the layer feed that little bit. You switched her right over to chick starter feed, so she should be OK. I think the Momma hen will take care of any mice . I read a story on here about someone with a broodie and some chicks having to rescue her cats from the hen. They were not even interested in the hen or the chick, but the hen tore into them anyway and she had to rescue them. So, while you don't want rodents in your coop if you can help it, I don't think it will hurt the chick or hen.

 

[chickenchick12]

Surprise is now 2 to 3 months old. She and Dina have been fighting. They fight rooster style but I'm positive that they Surprise is a pullet. Is this normal? How long will Dinamite take care of her chick? Could she be trying to wean it?

 

[GA Homesteader]

1. When the mother hen loses interest with chicks, it is time to return her to the regular flock. She may show signs she is ready for a change by trying to chase them away or just ignoring them. It usually happens after about 6 weeks, but in some cases it occurs much earlier or later. Any time after the chicks have feathered out and no longer need a heat source, it is all right to separate them from the hen. If the hen is lucky, she will be readily accepted back with her old gang, and she should quickly begin laying again.
2. When the chicks are about the same size as the adult birds, they too can be introduced to the old flock. Do it slowly, and don't expect their "mother" to recognize them or treat them special. One reason we wait so long is that when they are that size, they will be less picked upon and better able to defend themselves, but also that's about that time that the chicks are ready to consume the same feed as the adult birds. We've never lost a chicken to a hawk, and we think it might have something to do with the fact that our chicks aren't out in the open for too long or unsupervised until they are adult sized..
3. Your new chick will now find its way into the pecking order. Just be sure that the chick is big enough in size to take care of itself when interacting with the other hens. I hope that this helps you out.